After
years of editing, teaching writing, working with writers, and learning about
the industry as a writer/illustrator, I have a created a list of things I
believe new children’s book writers need to know. I also asked some published author
and illustrator friends to tell me what they wish they’d known when they began.
Following is a compilation of the very least you need to know when you’re
starting out. It is by no means an exhaustive list, but it will give you a
solid foundation as you begin your journey toward publication.
Be prepared
Always
carry a notebook or another way to record your ideas. Always. That incredible
idea you have at 3 am that you’re
certain you’ll remember in the morning? You won’t. Great ideas and inspiration
can strike at any time: in the car, in line at the supermarket, while cleaning
your bathroom. Be prepared.
Know your audience—know the genre
The
genre “children’s books” is divided into the following basic sub-categories
based on the age range of the readership:
- YA—young adult
- Middle grade—for
eight to twelve-year-olds or so
- Chapter books—divided
into chapters, some black and white illustrations, for elementary-age ranges
six to nine, seven to ten, and eight to twelve-year-olds.
- Early readers—for
young children learning to read
- Picture books—fully
illustrated, for four to eight-year-olds (sometimes three to seven)
- Board books—for
babies and toddlers, made to be tough so they can withstand everything babies
throw at them, including chewing
- Graphic novels are
also increasingly popular and can be for various age groups
- Non-fiction
picture books and other, various ages
If
you write a 3000-word picture book or a 120,000-word middle grade novel, expect
it to be rejected. Your picture book should be under 1000 words when you submit
it; in fact, the industry is tending toward books about half that length or
less, currently. A middle grade novel over 60,000 words (75,000 words for
fantasy) is going to be treated with serious caution. These word counts aren’t
arbitrary, but have been defined by what sells and what works for young readers
based on their age, comprehension skills, interests, and attention span. If
you’ve written something 3000 words long, consider it may not be a picture book
but perhaps a chapter book for slightly older readers—or it may just need editing,
development, and revision. Agent Jennifer Laughran has an excellent post about word counts.
Time
spent in libraries and bookstores educating yourself about the different
sub-genres of children’s books and reading both classic and recently published
children’s books is not time wasted. Also, the industry has changed since you
were a kid, so don’t rely on the stories you loved as a child for role models.
Look at what is being published now.
Think story, not message
Remember
when you were a kid and you got a lecture from your parents or a teacher? How
did it make you feel? Did it feel great and make you beg for more? Or did you
just wish you could get it over with? Compare how you felt when watching your
favorite movie or reading your favorite book. Were you immersed and entertained
and a little sorry when it was over? That is your job as the writer: to draw
the reader in and immerse them in the narrative, not to deliver a lecture. The
story should come first, and any message you are trying to convey or teach is
best subtly delivered through the narrative, not by heavy-handed didactic lessons,
which give a publisher or agent an easy reason to reject your manuscript. Kids
should absorb any message or lesson by default, not because they’re having it flapped
in their face.
And
while I’m on the subject of narrative, a weak narrative arc is one of the biggest
reasons manuscripts get rejected. See myblog post on narrative issues.
Learn
One
of the things that always surprises me is that newer writers think they should automatically
know how to write a publishable story. You wouldn’t expect to win a tennis match
the first time you played or give a great haircut or perform brain surgery
without acquiring the necessary skills. So why do so many newer writers assume
they should already know how to write for kids and feel terrible about negative
feedback? We ALL have to travel the learning curve. If we don’t, forget getting
(traditionally) published.
Take
a course, read books about writing, read blogs about writing, join SCBWI, work
with an editor or writing mentor, and above all, read, read, read.
Illustrations
Unless
you are an illustrator and hope to have your own illustrations published with
your story, you do not need to (and should not) have your manuscript
illustrated before you submit it to traditional publishers or literary agents.
If your story is acquired by a publisher, the publisher will choose an
illustrator whose work complements your own. You have, in the vast majority of
cases, no power over this decision, but keep in mind that publishers are very
good at knowing what you intend, as well as seeing possibilities for your work
that you might not have considered. Publishers tend to pair new writers with
established illustrators so books can be marketed on the established party’s previous
success in creating books that sell. Publishing is, after all, a business.
Also,
you do not need to make suggestions for what should be in the illustrations or
about any matters of style, layout, typography, etc.
Of
course, if you self-publish, you are in charge of it all. Keep in mind that illustrators
will not work only for the promise of royalties somewhere down the track. Most
will require a deposit and progress payments along the way. Illustration is a skilled
and time-consuming process, and you wouldn’t expect your hairdresser or brain
surgeon to provide services for free. Also, there is a difference between a graphic
artist and a children’s book illustrator, and children’s book illustration has particular
requirements that are best understood by someone who has studied children’s
book illustration and knows how picture books work.
Revise
No
work by any writer comes out perfect or publishable the first time. A lack of
adequate revision is one of the biggest mistakes aspiring authors make, in my
opinion. Revise, revise, revise. And then, revise some more.
Join or start a critique group
You
need multiple sets of eyes on your work as you develop your work, revise, and then
prepare for submission. Family and friends can be a great source of support,
but they’re less likely to give accurate, impartial, or even knowledgeable
critical feedback. A good critique group is also a source of support and
friendships on the up-and-down journey to publication. SCBWI (see next point)
can advise you about critique groups in your area.
Become a SCBWI member
TheSociety of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators is an
invaluable resource for writers and illustrators alike (whether you seek
traditional publication or plan to self-publish). You do not need to be
published to join. It’s also a warm, friendly, generous, international
community of like-minded people. It’s your tribe.
SCBWI
conferences and events are a great source of information, inspiration, industry
contacts, invitations to submit manuscripts, and enduring friendships. You can also
sign up to have your manuscript or portfolio critiqued by an editor or agent.
Get to know people
“I
wish I’d known that sometimes it isn’t enough to be a great writer,” one author
friend told me. Imagine the following scenario: there are two equally excellent,
highly marketable manuscripts, and an editor is forced to choose between them.
Writer A is a complete unknown. The editor has not heard of him, and he has no
social media presence. Writer B has become well-known by kid-lit industry folks
over the years for her personable, easy-to-get-along with manner, and the
editor has had very pleasant interactions with her several times at conferences
and kid-lit events. When she critiqued Writer B’s work at a recent conference,
Writer B was open to suggestion, easy to work with, and very appreciative of
her advice. Turns out they’re even friends on Facebook and from time to time,
the editor has chuckled at Writer B’s upbeat, amusing, positive, supportive (of
fellow kid-lit folk), book-and-creativity related posts on social media, which
bodes well for how she will interact with the buying public and how she will
work to market her books. Which writer do you think is more likely to get the
deal?
Contests and Awards
One
illustrator friend said she wished she’d known about writer and illustrator
contests and awards before she’d progressed too far to enter them. SCBWI and
its regional chapters offer various contests, awards, and scholarships, and
there are other similar opportunities out there for writers. Just make sure
that you do a thorough online search for any negative info about scam contests
designed only to separate unwary, hopeful writers from their money.
Submissions
This
a topic for a blog post of its own, but some basics:
- format your text properly
for submission and make sure it is properly copyedited without word misuse,
spelling mistakes, punctuation and other grammatical errors, or typos.
- Write and revise
an excellent query/cover letter. (See myblog post on writing queries for the kid-lit market.)
- Start with The Children’s Writers & illustrators
Market (Writer’s Digest Books). Always use the latest edition. An excellent
print resource for finding publishers and agents.
- Then make a list
of suitable publishers who are accepting unsolicited manuscripts in the genre in
which you are writing and confirm their submission guidelines on their website—then
follow them!
- Avoid the scatter-gun approach to submissions by targeting your submissions to publishers
and agents whose work is a good fit for your own. (I once had a client give me
a list of publishers she’d submitted her sweet, lyrical picture book to, and
one was a publisher who only published material about southwestern architecture
and history…for adults.)
- If you submit to
agents, don’t also submit to publishers. If an agent takes you on and then finds
your manuscript has already been submitted to and rejected by a bunch of publishers
she was going to contact, that’s annoying and self-defeating.
- Online resources such
as QueryTracker.net and AgentQuery.com can help you navigate the process of
finding an agent.
- Don’t be arrogant,
gimmicky, or demanding. Be professional, polite, and personable. Don’t be a
jerk. Nobody wants to work with a jerk.
- Don’t take
rejections personally. Look at them as a chance to improve your craft. EVERYONE,
no matter how talented, gets them, and manuscripts are rejected for all sorts
of reasons, some of which have nothing to do with the quality of the work. If
you keep writing and submitting, you can expect to get a huge pile just like
every other writer who eventually achieves publication. Learn to love rejection.
Time
If
you’re aiming for traditional publication, be aware that it will take time.
Don’t expect that your first manuscript will be on the bookstore shelves in time
for Christmas. It just doesn’t work that way. You first have to learn to write
for kids—think of it as doing your apprenticeship. Learning takes time. Revising
takes time. The submissions process takes time. (I don’t know anyone who’s
achieved traditional publication in less than five years, and I know many who have taken longer.) And
even if your book is acquired by a publisher, expect two years to pass before
you hold your published book in your hands.
Money
Don’t
be quick to quit your day job, and don’t expect to make buckets of money when
you are finally published. Kid-lit authors almost always supplement their book
income by doing school visits, speaking engagements, teaching writing, and
editing/mentoring.
The
best reason to write for kids and create books is because you love writing for
kids and creating books. This path is definitely a journey, not a destination—and
a most wonderful journey it is. Remember the 3 P’s: passion, patience, and
perseverance. Good luck!
